17 February 2026, The Rumshack
Arriving early at The Rumshack in Glasgow’s Southside, we were able to pick a suitable vantage point to see both bands play to an enthusiastic crowd who packed out the venue. A good vantage point is recommended as the stage sits only a few inches above floor level and when you have five musicians on stage vying for their own space, it’s handy to be able to see them play.
The Besnard Lakes
As mentioned above, they might not be a household name and personally I only came across them when one of their tracks was being played in a record store while I was browsing the racks. Yet another Hi Fidelity Beta Band moment!
For a band that have been around for over twenty years, it would be expected that the band would be a very tight unit. They didn’t have their worries though as the tour of the UK was about to unfold. Their keyboard player couldn’t make the trip as she is expecting a baby and bass player Olga Goreas fell and broke her ankle ahead of travelling across the Atlantic from their Canadian base.
Despite these drawbacks, the crowd were treated to a wonderful sonic mix of psychedelia and shoegaze, interspersed with some humorous inter-audience banter from lead man and husband to Olga, Jace Lasek.
The tension, no pun intended, was probably broken when he broke two of his guitar strings within the first couple of songs. What draws you to him though is his vocal range, with the vast majority of lyrics at an octave which was at odds with is appearance.
The setlist delivered on the night highlighted the breadth of music they have produced over the past couple of decades with almost equal measure from each of their albums. It’s a back catalogue that serves them and the audience well. Looking around, there are nodding heads and weaving bodies throughout the set suggesting that maybe their own Hi Fidelity moment was much earlier than my own.
The Thorn
First up on the night was The Thorn who fall into that category of one-part psychedelic, one-part folk, one-part indie rock. It’s a mix that was relatively successful on the night with the set list filled with songs that gave each of the band room to shine at various points. The songs themselves were easy on the ear too and it was obvious the band had a confidence in their own ability to keep the audience onside.
It can’t be easy travelling up and down the country to open up to an act that themselves are not a household name, however The Thorn can be happy with their performance and I’m sure they found a few new fans from the limited list of songs they were able to play.
